Ballot Measure

Elections

Californians may get to vote on expanded privacy rights

San Francisco privacy advocate Alastair Mactaggart is filing a new initiative to create a privacy bill of rights. The initiative could face challenges.

By Dan Morain • September 24, 2019

Elections

Bluer than blue: Are California Democrats ready to exploit a possible lopsided primary turnout?

Half a year out from California’s presidential primary, you can already envision an enthusiasm gap creating a turnout gap. But Democrats are holding back.

By Ben Christopher • August 29, 2019

Economy

California’s Supreme Court has thrown cities—and citizens—into chaos over local taxes

San Francisco, Oakland, and Fresno are getting sued—all because the California Supreme Court has yet to answer a simple question: How many votes does it take for a new tax to become law?

By Ben Christopher • February 14, 2019

Elections

Your county’s favorite? Where state props succeeded and failed across California

These maps illustrate how California counties split over the midterm ballot propositions.

By Ben Christopher • November 30, 2018

Elections

Record spending as huge money flows into industry fights on the California ballot

This year, with hundreds of millions of dollars rolling into initiative campaigns over housing and health care, California has hit a new record: The $111 million campaign against Proposition 8 on kidney dialysis clinics amounts to the most money poured into a single side of a ballot measure in the United States—at least since electronic record-keeping began in 2002, and possibly ever.

By Laurel Rosenhall • October 29, 2018

Economy

Prop. 13 could be partly undone in 2020—here’s what you should know

Advocates today submitted signatures to qualify a 2020 ballot initiative that would generate tens of billions of dollars for local and state governments by undoing part of California's landmark Prop. 13.

By Matt Levin • August 14, 2018

Elections

Brace yourself, Californians: Here are the 12 ballot measures you get to decide in November

After months of signature gathering and legislative wrangling, here's the final list of propositions that made the cut for the November election.

By Ben Christopher • June 28, 2018

Elections

Quick Takes: A dozen things we learned from California’s primary

1. Trump mattered For months, the two top Republicans in the race, John Cox, a businessman from Rancho Santa Fe, and Huntington Beach Assemblyman Travis Allen, were within sniping distance of one another in most credible public opinion polls. Then, sometime between April and late May, something changed. Republican voters began to rally around the […]

By CalMatters Staff • June 6, 2018

Capitol

Lead paint makers balk at huge bill for toxic cleanup—instead they want you to pick up the tab

After losing in California courts, three lead paint companies are asking voters to overturn the ruling that says they must pay to clean up toxic lead paint in older homes.

By Laurel Rosenhall • May 9, 2018

Elections

Facebook to stop spending money against California privacy measure

As Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrapped up a second day being grilled by Congress about whether the company adequately protects the personal data of its 2 billion users, news broke in California that Facebook will stop spending money to oppose a privacy measure aiming for the state’s November ballot. Facebook is one of five tech […]

By Laurel Rosenhall • April 11, 2018